A County Galway model is one of the finalists in an international modelling competition.
Shahira Barry from Athenry, who works with Assets Modelling Agency in Dublin, has been chosen as one of the top 10 in the contest to become the face of the Front Row Society clothing company in Germany.
The 20-year-old, who studied primary teaching at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick and graduated from there in October, says she is very excited at being selected to represent her country.
“I would love to win this competition to represent Galway, where I’m from, Assets in Dublin and Mary Immaculate College in Limerick where I studied,” says Ms Barry whose grandmother was from Connemara while her grandfather was from Bangladesh.
She is keen to get both local and national support for the next and final stage of the competition.
“The next stage is to create my own video and get people to vote on it on the Front Row Website until January 8.
The link to my public Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shahira-Barry/272249816147792?sk=app_201143516562748 It has gained 1,180 ‘likes’ in just over a month - and I am hoping that this number will continue to increase as it has been so far.”
The winner will be announced on Saturday January 14 and will be flown to Berlin on January 20 during Berlin Fashion Week.
The prize includes €2,000 to shop with Front Row Society (FRS ) online and selected boutiques, photoshoots with Berlin-based photographer Daniel Becker, exclusive promotion work with FRS’s charity ethical fashion forum and being introduced on the runway at Berlin Fashion Week.
Ms Barry, who has one sister and has been working as a freelance model for the past two years, was signed as one of Assets “New Faces” after attending an open day run by the Dublin agency in the capital. She has a a background in the performing arts.
“I love performing arts. I was a member of Backstage and Power’s Schools of Performing Arts in Galway and then in college was involved with Mary Immaculate Dramatic Arts in Limerick.
“I’ve been in pantomines since I was very young. I was always singing and dancing for as long as I can remember. I used to perform in our garden for people!
“I’d put up posters in the neighbourhood and invite people to attend my hip hop shows.”
A former student of Calasanctius College in Oranmore, she was always interested in modelling and, following a course with Absolute School of Modelling in Dublin, decided to pursue a fulltime career on the catwalk.
“Assets Modelling Agency had an open day in October which I attended and I was signed on the day,” she says. “I love modelling. The hours can be long but I love it.”
Her career has gone from success to success. She has taken part in five music videos as well as an RTE show entitled Who knows Ireland best? which will be begin on January 20.
She has also done promotional work and will participate in a TV 3 show this month, the details of which she cannot divulge at present.
She says she has been very lucky. “I hope 2012 is as good as last year for me,” says Ms Barry whose mother was born in Birmingham but moved over here after her mother (Shahira’s grandmother ) returned to live in Galway.
Her family are delighted with her success and are hugely supportive of her career.
As well as modelling she would like to do more television work in addition to performing arts, such as pantomines. But right now she is concentrating on the international modelling competition and hopes people will get behind her by voting for her video.
“I’ve made my own video and it’s up on the Front Row website.
“If people go into my Facebook page there is a link there for the Front Row website.”
She is already one of the 10 finalists and snow all the Athentry woman needs are people’s votes to help her clinch the prestigious title and live up to her name which means famous.
